Relax and unwind: Top five year-end destinations for Singapore travellers

The year-end festive season is a perfect time to relax and unwind from a year of hard work. During this break, your Singaporean staff are most likely to head over to Tokyo (Japan), London (United Kingdom), and Seoul (South Korea).

Taipei (Taiwan) and Bangkok (Thailand) rounded up the top five most popular year-end destinations for Singapore travellers.

This was according to travel trends identified by Brand Expedia based on Expedia flight and accommodation data for travel between 15 December 2019 and 14 January 2020.

Other trends revealed include:

An increase in travel to long-haul destinations

Further-flung cities such as London (United Kingdom), Paris (France), Barcelona (Spain) and Los Angeles (United States of America) have seen year-on-year growth rates of over 60% in flight demand during the year-end travel season.

Top 5 fastest growing year-end destinations are:

• London, United Kingdom: +157%
• Paris, France: +126%
• Osaka, Japan: +118%
• Hanoi, Vietnam: +107%
• Phuket, Thailand: +102%

The best worst time to book your flights

If you still have not decided where to go, fret not. There is still time to book your travel and save.

In fact, Brand Expedia found that booking your flight between seven to 13 days in advance of your travel date can still save you up to 30% on flight prices. On the flip side, the worst time to book flights are 61 to 90 days prior to travel.

Whereas, for hotels, the best time to book is between zero to six days in advance, while the worst time to book is over 91 days in advance.

"When it comes to booking flights, common sense typically calls for planning ahead in order to get the best deals. But the sweet spot for flights can vary, with seasonality, travel dates and other factors that could influence flight prices," said Lavinia Rajaram, APAC Head of Communications, Brand Expedia.

Alternative destinations to get the most of your dollar

With many Singaporeans travelling during the year-end festive season, to avoid the crowd altogether and head to someplace new, try these five destinations:

• Vancouver, Canada
• Shanghai, China
• New York, United States of America
• Los Angeles, United States of America
• Paris, France

Based on Expedia data, not only are these destinations less popular with Singaporean travellers, they also feature flights and hotels that are cheaper this year-end compared to the year before.

Wallet-friendly quick getaways

If you're looking for a quick getaway on a budget, Brand Expedia recommended these five destinations (along with estimated prices for flights and hotels):

• Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia:  Flights from approximately S$185 and hotels from S$137/night.
• Yangon, Myanmar: Flights from S$299 and hotels from S$121/night
• Hanoi, Vietnam: Flights from S$312 and hotels from S$119/night
• Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: Flights from S$265 and hotels from S$143/night
• Bangkok, Thailand: Flights from S$309 and hotels from S$173/night

Photo / iStock